Recently a Belgian arms manufacturer walked out of a deal to supply arms to India’s army amid concerns that the weapons would be used in Jammu and Kashmir.
German arms manufacturer Heckler and Koch, whose MP5 submachine guns have been part of the armoury of the National Security Guards (NSG) and Marine Commando (Marcos) units, has withdrawn from the Indian market saying it lacked approval from the German government, Telegraph India reported.
Germany’s small arms export to India has hit a barrier due to concerns over the human rights record of Indian Armed Forces’ in Jammu and Kashmir.
German regulations and covenants restrict, and often prohibit, arms sales to nations or regions where their use might cause direct or collateral damage to civilian populations and institutions.
The Kolkata-based newspaper quoting two Indian security officials familiar with the bar on German small arms producers reported that these companies had failed to obtain export licences from their government on account of the “poor human rights record” in Kashmir.
An Intelligence Bureau official told the newspaper that a Belgian arms manufacturer too had recently walked out of a deal to supply arms to India’s army amid concerns in the Belgian government that the weapons would be used in Jammu and Kashmir.
Belgium’s FN Herstal had signed the Rs 70-crore deal in 2020 to supply small arms and assault rifles to the army’s Special Frontier Force (SFF).
Reports have said that
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